Heroes: The Sojourner Chronicles
by Chronicle of Tomes
Summary: Years after Claire Bennett exposed the world to the presence of Specials, things have changed. First there was the hunting down and killing of them. Then the governments gathering them for the Specials War. Now, the Earth has been attacked by an extra-terrestrial force bent on wiping out all humans, Special or not. Some Heroes must band together if they wish to save humanity.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Jasper**

It was dark outside. Jasper couldn't see anything beyond a few feet in front of the house, but that was alright. Where they lived there wasn't any electricity. In fact, most of the planet had been without electricity for a few years now. Side effect of the Sojourner invasion, he guessed.

A snowflake landed on the window and his eyes crossed as he tried to get a good look at it. No two snowflakes were alike; his mother had always told him. He didn't know how they could know that for certain when there were so many snowflakes that fell. Did someone out there collect them all and sort them? Maybe it was Jack Frost's job to actually make the snowflakes. He knew about Jack Frost because his mother read him stories about him at Christmas time.

He settled his elbows on the windowsill and put his chin in his hands as he hummed to himself while watching the snowfall. With his father out bringing some more wood in, he didn't really have anything better to do. Canada was cold during the winter months. Where they lived it was really cold. The cabin was really old; he'd found a flintlock musket under the floorboards one time.

"Jasper, do you see your father yet?" his mother called from where she was setting the table.

"No, mama. It's all so dark."

"Well, when you see his light, let me know."

"Okay!"

He stuck his face against the glass and then yelped at how cold it felt. Pulling a few inches back, he stared out into the inky darkness, watching for the bob and sway of his father's light returning to the cabin. Any time now he would be coming back.

Jasper was excited for that night. His father had managed to kill a young buck that morning which meant that they got to have venison for dinner. Venison stew! He loved venison stew. They didn't get to have it often because the deer weren't very easy to find anymore. His father said it was because the Sojourners were killing every living thing, not just humans. Even the poor animals didn't stand a chance against them. That made him sad, but at least this one was going to be eaten instead of left to rot.

Something flickered to his left and he turned to look at it. Was it his father's light? He couldn't tell just yet. He turned to tell his mother, but a loud clan resounded as one of the dishes she was holding hit the floor, spilling stew all over.

"Mama?"

The look on her face frightened him.

"Mama, what's wrong?"

"Jasper, come here."

"Mama, I'm scared."

"Jasper, come here!"

A whimper escaped him as he climbed down off the chest by the window and walked over to where she was standing. She knelt down in front of him and looked him in the eyes before brushing the hair out of his face and back behind his ears. She was crying, which made him start crying too.

"Something bad is going to happen, alright? I need you to go into the safe place and stay there. Don't make a sound. Do you understand?"

"But Mama-"

"No. Now go, quickly. No sounds, no matter what."

She pushed him towards the rug in the middle of the room. He stopped and looked at her as she whipped some tears from her face. When she saw him standing there, she motioned for him to go on again. He turned away and walked to the rug, pulling it back to reveal a hidden door. The little metal handle was stuck so he tugged on it as hard as he could until it flew open. Climbing down the steps into the darkness of the little cellar, he looked up at the door.

"Mama, it's dark-"

His mother appeared in the opening above and grabbed the door.

"I know, dear. It'll be alright."

Before he could say anything she closed the door and pulled the rug back over it. Not being able to see anything, he sat down where he stood and hugged his legs close to his chest. Tears ran down his face simply because he didn't know what was going on and his mother had been crying. His mother never cried. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness he felt around until he found a little metal box which he played with for a moment before realizing it was a lighter. Flicking it on, he looked around the small room.

There were newspapers scattered everywhere; stacks of them piled up. He reached one for one of the smaller stacks and pulled the top paper off to look at the cover. On the front was a blond girl with smashed face, broken arm, and she was covered in blood. He could read, but not that well. Her last name was hard to pronounce, but her first name was Claire. It said something about mute ants…

Then he heard a crash from above him and jumped, dropping the lighter which flickered itself out before starting a fire. Something ran swiftly across the floor above him. Then he heard the scream. His mouth opened and he started bawling, but he remembered his mother had said to be quiet so he grabbed his mouth with his hands, but tears continued to roll down his cheeks. His little body shook violently as the screaming continued.

Someone shouted. His father? Then there was more screaming, but from a man. It had to be his father! But the screaming made him shiver. Why were they screaming? Tears dripped out from beneath his hands as they covered his mouth.

Then it went completely silent. No more screaming. There wasn't a sound. He heard something, though, through his sobs. Shuffling. Then light peeked through the cracks in floor above him. There wasn't a sound as the light appeared. A wave of fear ran through him and he reached down, trying to grab onto the wood of the floor. The door suddenly pulled completely off the hinges and a dark face with white eyes peered down at him.

It was looking right at him! A Sojourner! He could see its mouth-less face as it looked at him. The bony protrusion from its arm was covered in something red that dripped down onto the stairs. It turned its head this way and that. Surely it saw him, though. He was sitting right at the base of the stairs! He was as good as dead!

It withdrew. He heard footsteps moving across the floor and out. He just sat there, staring at the opening above the stairs. How had it not seen him? Sojourners killed every living thing they saw, and surely it had seen him as it had looked right at him. He couldn't believe it. The fear had washed the tears right out of him and he looked down as if expecting to find that he was already dead, only to find that he couldn't see himself. Well, he could see his outline, but he looked like the very wood he was sitting on. How was that possible?

He stared at his hands for a while. Eventually his skin began to change back to what it was before and he realized that he'd even taken on the texture of the wood. Not understanding what this meant, and realizing he hadn't heard a word from his mother or father, the tears came back again and he started crying as he sat there.

It was a full hour before he finally got himself to move. The stairs creaked beneath his feet as he climbed them. Hand grabbed the ledge and he slowly pulled himself up to peek out. He didn't see any of the Sojourners, but he saw his parents. Specifically he saw his mothers head, staring at him with her body lying elsewhere in several pieces. He screamed uncontrollably and nearly fell back down the stairs when he tried to clamp his hands over his eyes.

He couldn't look. He couldn't look at his mother's lifeless eyes and disembodied head, knowing that he'd never be able to talk to her again. He might be young, but he knew what this meant. Turning away, he climbed out of the cellar and turned to walk towards the back of the cabin. Grabbing his little Spider-man bag, he shoved some batteries, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of his mother's homemade bread, and his stuffed dog into it. Grabbing his coat, he pulled it on and zipped it up before putting the backpack on over his shoulders. Next he put on his boots, hat, and gloves. Then he grabbed a flashlight, opened the back door, and looked outside. He didn't say anything so he stepped out into the snow.

His father had told him that if anything happened to them he shouldn't stay at the cabin. It wouldn't be safe without the two of them there to protect him. He couldn't survive on his own, anyway. They'd said if he walked south, he knew which way that was from the cabin, that he would eventually make it to a road. If he followed that he'd make it to a town where he might be able to find some survivors holed up. They told him to keep moving and try to find another human to live with. Without them, he wouldn't survive.

For a while he walked without the use of any light. There was no moon to see by, but if he turned on the flash light too soon he might draw Sojourners. So he walked silently, save for the crunch of his boots on snow, twigs, and leaves, while leaving a trail of tears behind him as he cried over the loss of his parents. He had no one left in the world. What was he going to do?

After a little while of walking, and stumbling over tree branches, he decided he was far enough away. He stopped. Listening for a bit, he tried to see if anything was around. Not hearing anything, he turned on the flashlight. The light pierced the darkness, and cut a swathe in front of him. All he could see were trees. A lifted arm dried the tears away from his eyes before he started walking again. At least now he could see where he was going.

He walked south for a long time until he stepped out from behind a tree and found himself on a hard surface that he hadn't ever seen before. Shining the light at it, he saw that it was completely covered in snow, undisturbed, but the clear area went on for a long way. He decided this must be the road, so he stepped out into the center and started walking south.

Eventually the clouds above him began to part and moonlight filtered through. He turned the flashlight off when that happened and just walked with the moonlight. It was cold, but he kept moving so it wasn't too bad. After a while he noticed other tracks in the snow. They didn't look like his. Still, he kept walking until he heard something ahead of him. Lights appeared in the distance and his eyes went wide as he heard sounds like roaring.

In a panic he ran off the road and fell down on the ground in the snow. Lifting his hands, he tugged them over his head and lay very still. His body reacted to his terror and he, and everything touching him, turned white as snow and took on the same sleek texture. As he lay there, the machine passed him by, trundling through the snow with several Sojourners on the side. He waited until it was gone, then stood up and pulled his stuffed dog out of his bag. Hugging it to his chest, he started walking again. Just a frightened little boy alone in the wilderness. Life couldn't be harder.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Cailin**

"I've got Hunters at two o'clock. Roofline."

"_I see them. There's an alley to your left, if you head through it, you should be alright."_

She glanced to her left and then double tapped her communicator to indicate she was taking that path. Hugging the wall brought the rough sensation of bricks against her fingertips as she slid along and poked her head around the corner. It was clear, but she pulled her pistol from its holster anyway, unwilling to go down empty handed despite the fact that she always had an ace up her sleeve. It was just too risky in her mind.

Everything seemed alright as she crept down the alley, but the sound of snarl nearby caused her to pause and duck behind a few crates. A Sojourner Hunter was entering the alley.

"I've got a Hunter in the alley. I'm entering the red brick building, right side."

Creeping back along, she paused at a door and quietly opened it before slipping inside. Dark was the only thing about empty buildings. There was no power here. Any dark room could be a Sojourner hive, but this one seemed clear. She closed the door, and walked slowly towards a series of cabinets. Pulling one open, she found a bunch of tools.

"I'm in the machine shop. How's it look outside, Riggs?"

"_Just that same group of Hunters coming around. They should move on shortly."_

"Keep your head down while I see what I can find in here."

"_If you find torque wrench we could use it."_

"Right."

The cabinet she was looking in didn't have much in it. Some nuts and bolts, which she quickly pocketed, could come in handy later on. Those little things could be used for just about anything, including homemade shrapnel bombs. She found a set of socket wrenches in the next cabinet and pulled off her backpack before stuffing the wrenches inside.

Walking to another door, she peered out into the actual shop. There were several cars elevated, and she saw at least one motor out and taken apart. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary so she walked through the door and into the main shop. Everything was in disarray, and there were parts and tools on the floor. She nearly tripped over an air compressor that was occupying the space just past the door, but she managed to save herself.

"Lots of junk in here."

"_That junk is valuable. Remember that."_

"Yeah, but it's not food and that's what we need the most."

"_We can only get to where we can get to. We'll survive."_

"We damn well better. These things need to be stopped."

She started looking through several trays of equipment, grabbing wrenches and everything else she could find to shove into her pack. She found a big thing that looked like a drill and smiled.

"Got the torque wrench."

"_That's good. What's not good is the fact that Killers just showed up."_

"Shit. Where?"

"_Outside the machine shop, just across the street."_

Sliding through the shop, careful not to hit or kick anything, she approached the big doors and looked through the windows across the street. There were several smaller Hunters, their bodies shaped more like modified dogs than the Killers humanoid appearance. The Killers were far more deadly. While Hunters were relentless, they were slower and not as intelligent. The Killers were faster than a human, and they killed without remorse or thought. Humans were killed on sight.

Lifting a hand, she ran it through her long, red hair, and then pulled it back to tie it firmly behind her where it wouldn't get in the way. If the Hunters had called in Killers, it meant that they were aware of Riggs and her being there. It meant they were going to have to fight.

"Riggs, move to a higher vantage point. Do not be seen."

"_Already moving. Going comms dark, too. Sorry, love, but you're on your own now."_

"Love you, too."

She closed her eyes for a moment and slid down to a seat near the door. The backpack suddenly felt much heavier than it actually was. Riggs was out there alone and he wasn't a Special. He was just Riggs: a guy with a big gun. Her husband.

Something moved outside the garage door.

Scrambling away, she looked up at the door. One of the Killers was looking through right at her. Scraping sounded on the door before two claws suddenly poked through. There was a crash from the room she'd come in through. There wasn't any time left.

The power came to her mind in such force that her nose began to bleed instantly. She was used to this. Staring at the door with full intensity, her eyes turned black and the door exploded outwards before wrapping itself around the Killer and squeezing it. It screamed horrific screams as it died, but she couldn't focus on that. Another Killer was coming at her from the back door.

Debris from the floor lifted and flew across the room, pelting the creature and knocking it back beneath one of the hydraulically lifted cars. She shredded the cables with some shears and the car suddenly dropped, smashing the Sojourner beneath it. Hunters were coming now, but shots rang out and one went down. Then another. She was starting to feel weak, and fell down to a knee. Hunters were dropping outside, but there was one inside that she hadn't noticed. A claw racked her back before she grabbed the things terrible head and squeezed, screaming at it.

The Sojourner screamed in return, her power coursing into it and shredding its insides until it fell lifelessly to the floor. She followed it to the floor and lay there with blood squirting from her nose. She felt sick, and tired. Shots were still flying. They weren't stopping. Ringing in her ears. Overwhelming pain. She blacked out.

It seemed like only minutes had passed when she opened her eyes again. Quiet was the first thing she noticed. Darkness had settled over the old town. Sitting up, she groaned. A wave of dizziness passed through her. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she cleaned the blood away and looked around. Nothing was moving and it was eerily silent. Not good. She tapped her comms.

"Riggs, it's all quiet. What's your position?"

No answer.

"Riggs, answer me."

Still no answer. She stood up.

"If this is a joke it isn't funny."

She walked to the blown out door, and looked out. There was no movement, just silence. No response from her husband either. A hand wiped her forehead before she walked out and into the middle of the street. Turning about, she looked everywhere she could, but she didn't see a single sign of movement.

"Riggs, please answer me."

A few tears started to run down her cheeks, but there was nothing to ease her fears. No sound. She looked at the dead bodies on the ground and then looked for the tallest building around. A three story office building seemed to give the best vantage point for shooting the Hunters she'd seen him take down.

Feet pounded the ground as she ran towards the building. The door was locked, but she shot the lock with her gun and pushed the door open. Feet carried her inside and she realized the place could be infested, so she cautiously made her way to the stairs and upwards to the third floor. There she stopped to listen for any sound, but she heard nothing.

"Riggs?" she called out tentatively. "Riggs where are you?"

Walking slowly down the hall, she pushed open one door after another. Finally, at the fifth door, she pushed it open and saw eyes staring at her. She screamed and lifted her gun, unloading into the Killers surprised face. It dropped to the ground and she sighed in relief before looking past it. The gun dropped from her hand.

At the wall near the window, a panel shot free, was Riggs' head staring back at her with lifeless eyes. His body was a mass of blood and gore, but his head was still there. Cailin dropped to her knees and stared at him. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she screamed as loud as she could. Despair, sorrow. She grabbed the gun and held it up to her head and squeezed the trigger but there were no bullets. She collapsed and cried.


End file.
